Landing and launching equipment for flying boats



arch 20, 1945.

F. J. WALT ERS LANDING AND LAUNCHING EQUIPMENTFOR FLY ING BOATS Filed Aug. 22, 1944 '5 Sheets-Sheet 1 r m m I fiwvk J. M41 TEES,

By QM and March 20, 1945. F. J. WALTERS 2,371,721

LANDING AND LAUNCHING EQUIPMENT FOR FLYING BOATS Filed Aug. 22, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor 1 By g fkA/vK J WAZ. TERS,

Marh 20, 1945. w 2,371,721

LANDING AND LAUNCHING EQUIPMENT FOR FLYING BOATS Inventor f/eAA/K J h ALTERS,

Inventor 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 40 (Q) Lfi' 10.

fieA/vK J. WALTERS,

F. J. WALTERS Filed Aug. 22, 1944 LANDING AND LAUNCHING EQUIPMENT FOR FLYING BOATS March 20, 1945.

March 20, 1945. F. J. WALTERS 2,371,721

LANDING AND LAUNCHING EQUIPMENT FOR FLYING BOATS Filed Aug. 22, 1944 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 6'5 Y l Inventor 6/ 6/ I r I III f/eA/v/r J W4L 75/96,

i4. pivoted, as at 28, so that said ramp section l3 may swing vertically on the pair of piles H3 at its inner end. Preferably, the pivots take the form of headed trunnions extended through suitable cap members 2| on said piles 8. At the outer end thereof, said bed i4 is provided with laterally extending, double-headed guide trunnions 22 flxedat one end in suitable plates 23 secured in any desired manner to the side walls l6 and having the other ends thereof playing in VerticaL'arcuate slots 24 in hollow guides 25 suitably fixed on the upper ends of the pair of piles i9, the slots 24 being arranged to permit the outer end of the ramp section I3 to swing upwardly and downwardly freely.

A pilot slip is provided at the outer end of the pilot ramp section |3 comprising a pair of side wings or members 26 of elongated form pivoted at inner ends thereof, as at 21, to the outer ends of the'guide walls l6 for swinging about vertical axes thereon and connected together at their outer ends in outwardly diverging relation :by a bottom cross bar 28 pivoted at the ends thereof, as at 29, to said wings 26. The wings 26 terminate at the other ends thereof in outwardly flaring extensions 38 serving as end buiiers thereon in a manner which will be apparent. The side wings 25. including the extensions 38, are padded, as at 3|, in the same manner as the guide walls IS. A pair of floats 32 are suitably fixed to the outer sides of the side wings 25 adjacent the extensions and which may be of any'type sufliciently buoyant to cause the described pilot slip and the floating ramp section l3 to rise and fall with the tide and to maintain the side wings 25 and guide walls l6 above water level at all times from the inner end of said ramp section 13 outwardly, and with atransporting car on said floating section l3 submerged at the outer end of said section. It will be understood that the inner end of the floating ramp section I3 is pivoted so that the bed l4 and the tracks |5 at their inner ends are permanently, substantially level with the outer ends of the bed 3 and the tracks 5, respectively.

, As will now be seen, the described side wings 26 are laterally swingable in unison to form a tapering slip for directing a flying boat, such as represented at 33, to the floating pilot section l3 regardless of the water level and from various angles.

For swinging the described pilot slip section laterally, a cable 34 is preferably connected at its ends to the floats 32, asrepresented at 35, extended along opposite sides of the floating section l3 and the landing ramp 2 to suitable guide pulleys 36 on the platform I with a. stretch of said cable, intermediate said pulleys, suitably attached to a power reel 31 for winding up said cable to exert pull on said ends alternately.

In conjunction with the foregoing, a transporting car, or truck, 38 is provided for transporting t e flying boat 33, and which preferably comprises a flat bed 33 supported by wheel trucks 48 at each end of said bed, the bed being surmounted by end, skeleton cradle'sections 4| constructed and arranged, in any suitable manner, to seat therein thehull, or fuselage. of aflying boat 33 without interfering with the wings of said boat or other parts appurtenant thereto.

The described car 38 is designed to be propelled over the described tracks and to be run, in landing the flying boat 33, down onto the floatin ramp section 13, and this operation may be manually performed, or suitable power means may be utilized for propelling the car 31 if desired.

Means are provided whereby an incoming, or landing, flying boat 33 is adapted to pick up the car 38 when the latter is located on the floating ramp section l3, and whereby, under its own power, said boat will propel said car up said float ing ramp section l3, and the landing ramp 2, and along selected tracks 8, 9, ID, as the case may be. The pick-up means comprises a hook member 42 provided on the tail end'of the hull of the flying boat 33 to depend therefrom with a hooked end 43 turned forwardly, and a fan tail-like pusher frame 44 of rod-like metal extending from what constitutes the rear end of the bed-39 and which includes a rear, concave, central seat 45 for receving said hooked end 43 of said member 42 therein. Referring now to the use and operation of the described embodiment of my invention, the transporting car 38 is first run down onto the floating ramp section l3. In this connection, it should be explained that the weight of the car 38 swings the floating ramp section l3 downwardly in the water so that the cradle section 4| at the rear end of said car is submerged sufliciently to permit a flying boat 33 traveling on the water to passover the rear end of the cradle section 4|. The pilot slip Wings 25 may then be swung to substantially align the slip with the line of forward travel of an approaching flying boat travcling on thesurface ofthe water and said boat 33 is run into the'slip. At this point, said wings 26 may be swung to align the flying boat 33 with the floating ramp section l3 and thecar 38 thereon. As theflying boat 38 continuesits progress over the water through the pilot slip, it is guided by the wings 25 into the floating pilot'ramp section l3, and by the guide walls N5 of said sec--- tion over the car 38 to center the bull, or fuselage, over said car. As said flying boat 38 reaches a proper position to seat in the cradle sections 4|, the hooked member 42 picks up the pusher frame 44 with the end 43 caught in the seat 45. From this, point, said boat 33, under its own power, propels the car 38 up the floating ramp ing ramp 6 into the water sufficiently to displace said boat from the cradle sections 4| by floating the boat out of said sections in a manner which will be understood.

In the modified embodiment of my invention shown in Figures 12 to 13, a floating turntable 46uis provided at the outer endof the floating ramp section 41 and said ramp section is suitably mounted' at its outer end for vertical swinging movement by pivot pins, as at 48, and for vertical floating movement by'guides' 49 into which said pins 48 extend and which are adapted to play vertically cap members .50 on a pair of piles 5|. The turntable 46 is mounted by pins 52 in suitable guide slots 53 in caps 54 on piles 55 so that said turntable may float upwardly and downwardly, and the turntable is provided with suitable floats56; The outer end of the floating ramp section 41 is provided with floats, as at 56. The piles 55 rise from a cap-like annular support 5'! rotatably mounted by .means of rollers 58 in a circular trackway 59 provided in a base member 60 of circular form suitably secured,

as at 6|, to a foundation B2 embedded in the ottom of the body of water, not shown. Side guide walls 65 are provided on the turntable 4,6, with flaring entrance ends 66. A pair of suitable gates '61 are hinged, as at 68 to the side Walls 85 at the exit ends of the same and are provided with a suitable bolt form of latch 69 for maintaining the same closed. The support 51 may be used as a belt pulley for rotation by a suitably poweroperated belt 10. 1

As will be understood, the described turntable 4B is designed tobe used in lieu of the previously described pilot slip and to be rotated into different positions, shown in dotted lines in Figure 12, so that a flying boat may be'entered into the space, or revolving slip, formed by the side walls 65 until blocked by the gates 61., After a flying boat has been run into saidspace or slip, the turntable 46 may be rotated to align the side walls 65 with side walls 69 on the floating ramp section 41 and the. gates openedto permit the boat to pass through the same. Otherwise, the modified embodiment of the invention described is used in the same manner as the preferred em portion submerged, means to guide a flying boat to the outer end portion of said ramp comprising a floating pilot slip swingable laterally into diiierent angular positions relative to the ramp, and a floating guide structure intermediate said ramp and slip confined against lateral movement.

2. Apparatus for landing flying boats appreaching the same ona body of water comprising a stationary field, a landing ramp inclining from said field into the water with an outer end portion submerged, meansto guide a flying boat to the outer end portion of said ramp comprising a floating pilot slip swingable' laterally into different angular positions relative to the ramp,

and a floating guide structure intermediate said ramp and "slip confined against lateral movementj andpivoted for vertical swinging movement at theouter end of said ramp.

3. Apparatus for landing flying boats from said fleld into the water with an outer end portion submerged, means to guide a flying boat to the outer end portion of said ramp comprising a floatin pilot slip swingablelaterally into diflerent angular positions relative tothe ramp,

, l a floating guide structure intermediate said ramp and slip confined against lateral movement and pivoted for vertical swinging movement at the outer end :of said ramp, a wheel-supported car for transporting the flying boat from said structure up the ramp and over said field, a track system ,for said car, and means to cause a flying boat passing through said structure to couple to said car whereby said boat may be operated to propel said car. i a

4. Apparatus for landing flying boats approaching the same one, bodyof water comprising a stationary field, a landing ramp inclining from saidfield into the water with an outer end portion submerged, meansto guide a flyingboat to the outer end portion of said ramp comprising a floating pilot slip swingable laterally into different angular positions relative to the ramp, and a floating guide structure intermediate said ramp and slip confined against lateral movement and to which said slip is swing ably connected. 1 '5, Apparatus for landing flying boats; ap-

proaching the sameon a body of water comprising a stationary field, a landing ramp inclining r from said fleld into the water with an outer end portion submerged, means to guide aflying boat to the outer endportion of said ramp comprising a floating pilot slipswingable laterally into different angular positions relative to theramp, a floating guide structure intermediate said ramp and slip confined against lateralmovement and pivoted for vertical swinging movement at the outer end of said ramp, a wheel-supported car for transporting the flying boat from said structure up the ramp andiover said field, a track system for said car, and means to cause a flying boat passing through said structure to conple tosaid car whereby said boat may be operated to propel said car, saidcar being provided with a cradle structure thereon. l u

' FRANK J. WALTERS.

approaching the same on a body of water comprising a stationary field, a landing ramp inclining for seating a flying boat 

